SLCspeaks’ Most-Read Articles (Plus a Few Editor-in-Chief Faves)

Four years ago, I started SLCspeaks in order to give Sarah Lawrence a more varied voice online. I didn’t want to publish boring news about campus landscaping or placating pieces on our donning system. The existing publications seemed bent on circling away from anything raw or really Sarah Lawrence. Arriving here, I loved my classmates who demanded lively debate and felt strongly about poetry. I was in awe of their talents: I met book writers, musicians with tracks on iTunes, and award-winning filmmakers, all of whom were also committed scholars. Accordingly, I thought any Sarah Lawrence publication should reflect our school’s incredible texture and depth.

I found a treasure trove in the Archives when I researched for The Collapse of Sarah Lawrence Social Life. I was interested to notice a social cycle: Sarah Lawrence seemed to party hard and fast, stumble into security, then retreat into siloed social groups before lapsing into drink and drug-fueled fests to repeat the pattern all over again. I wondered how we could improve our parties and our well-being at the same time. Maybe it’s just senior year, but I think we’ve made strides in social engagement. Live music, house parties, dances, and entertaining student productions abound.

Finally, in Unorthodox: The Sarah Lawrence Archetype, Mitchell Sunderland profiled Deborah Feldman, who wrote a book about rejecting her Hasidic background in order to get an education at Sarah Lawrence. Mitchell also described his own intuitive decision to come here while weaving in esteemed alums Babs Walters and Alexander Dimitrov. The conclusion? “Ambitious runaways will always flock to Sarah Lawrence.”

Finally, to conclude this review, the SLCspeaks editors have compiled a series of words that serve as a summation of our time at SLCspeaks:

Anna: Rewarding, challenging, necessary.

Gabrielle: Nice, penetrating, encouraging.

James: Joyous, invigorating, fierce.

Ella: Loving, evolving, gathering.

Zoe: Inspiring, formative, memorable.

Thank you all for reading and contributing. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Ella Riley-Adams (Founder, Editor-in-chief) comes from a small town in Southern Oregon. She enjoys champagne, soccer and swimming in ponds. When not immersed in Sarah Lawrence affairs, Ella works for NYC marketing and tech blog The New York Egotist and The Faster Times. Follow her on twitter @ellarileyadams.